As a result of rapid urbanisation and the intensity of urban conflicts, cities seem to be the new frontier for peace mediation. In his latest publication Crossing the new frontier: peace mediation in the city, Dr Achim Wennmann (Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies) discusses the importance of peace mediation in urban spaces.
Following his reflections as co-facilitator of the Technical Working Group on Urban Safety and Peacebuilding, Dr Wennmann wrote this paper, in which he uses the truce in El Salvador as a case study for urban peace mediation. In his essay, Dr Wennmann argues that mayors, community leaders, clergy, and the multitude of perpetrators of violence need an expanded tool-box to deal with conflict and violence. He highlights the need for a shift from law-and-order responses towards a political approach that integrates expertise from various urban actors when dealing with urban violence and crime. To strengthen this effort, peace mediators and urban actors should form networks, share data, and seek innovative and holistic strategies to deal with urban conflict and violence. Read the full article here: https://www.hdcentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Wennmann_Crossing-the-new-frontier-1.pdf
